The Princess and The Cabbit
by RingPrincess
Summary: A bedtime story


A/N: I don't own Tenchi Muyo, it is owned by AIC and Pioneer and an author to whom I shall find out the name of eventually.   
  
Hi, this is a story that I made up to go with my personal website. Also entitled The Princess and the Cabbit and is found at www.angelfire.com/ny5/ringprincess/index.html I hope you enjoy. I would also like to take this time to express my eternal gratitude to JohnnyG for coming up with the title for my site, which helped to spark the idea for this story.   
  
The Princess and The Cabbit  
  
by RingPrincess  
  
Ryoko grasped Ryo-ohki closer to her, her large amber eyes looking up at her mother, Washu who was tucking her into bed.   
  
"Mommy, tell me a story." The young girl demanded, wriggling under the dark blue covers, making wrinkles in the fabric.  
  
Washu smiled down at Ryoko and smoothed the covers one last time before sitting on the edge of the bed. "What story do you want to hear my little Ryoko?"  
  
"The Princess and the Cabbit," Ryoko all but yelled.  
  
Washu suppressed a sigh, "But I told you that story yesterday little Ryoko." She looked around Ryoko's messy room to keep from looking at her daughter, noting the piles of clothes, the fast food wrappers and strangely neat piles of homework on the desk. Washu glanced back at Ryoko.  
  
Her lip was pushed out in a big pout. "And it's my favorite."   
  
Washu ran a few fingers through Ryoko's wild spikes of cyan. "I know, how about The Tree Ship that Could."  
  
"No, I wanna hear the Princess and the Cabbit, please mommy!" Ryoko wiggled some more, creating a comfortable well in the bed and hugging Ryo-ohki to her chest.  
  
"All right," Washu clasped her hands together on her lap. "Once upon a time there was a princess."  
  
--  
  
Once upon a time there was a princess. The princess was very young and very cute and she had all the things in the world she could want, except what she wanted most a friend. She had all the toys, the dresses, and gadgets but without someone to share them with, what was the point.   
  
The Princess tried to make friends with other princesses and princes, but they were just as spoiled rotten and snobbish as she was, even if the princess didn't want to admit it. And so they looked down on her and refused to be friends and she did the same to them.   
  
They laughed at her manner of dress and her wild hair. So because she didn't know any better the Princess would taunt and tease them as well, until none of them could stand each other.   
  
So one day as the princess played alone in her large rooms, as usual she was wishing for someone to play with. She dropped another toy on the floor and sighed, looking about at all the discarded things.   
  
"There's nothing to do," she said to herself, her shoulders drooped and she kicked the dropped toy. As the toy sailed across the room the princess got an idea. Her face lit up and she squealed with happiness. Why hadn't she thought of this before?  
  
She picked up her pink skirts and ran from the room, down long hallways that she didn't stop and admire as she dodged servants and guests. She paused only at crossways in the halls to be sure that she was going the right way.   
  
She burst into the shop of the Royal Toy Makers. All noises in the room stopped as she twirled about, craning her neck to find the one in charge, the chief toy maker.   
  
A man came forward, a bright smile on his face. "Hello, Princess is everything all right with our work?"  
  
The Princess raised herself up as far as her height would allow. "The toys are fine, however Toy Maker, I'd like you to build me a friend."  
  
A quiet laugh ran through the room before the Chief Toy Maker could stop it.  
  
Tears stung the Princess' eyes and she stamped her foot. "Don't laugh at me!" she yelled, for the one thing she hated most was being laughed at.  
  
The room fell silent.  
  
The Chief Toy Maker got down on his knees. He had always felt sorry for the little Princess, and tried to make the best toys he could for her. "I'm sorry Princess. I cannot build you a friend. Friends cannot be built, only made."  
  
The Princess frowned. She narrowed her eyes and bit her lip in thought. If a friend couldn't be built by the Toy Maker, what was she to do?  
  
A friend couldn't be built only made, she thought harder, hands squeezing together. Suddenly she relaxed and smiled brightly. "Oh," She gasped. "I know. Thank you oh so much." She hugged the Toy Maker and flew from the room.   
  
She dashed down the hall, knowing that her next stop wasn't that far away. The winds of her running making her puffy sleeves jiggle.   
  
The noise of the science lab was worse than that of the Toy Makers' shop. She stuck her fingers in her ears as she looked about wide eyed.   
  
"Dr. Kagato!" she called, her piping voice alerting a nearby scientist. He laid his tools down and gradually the men and women around him noticed this and did so as well.   
  
Dr. Kagato stepped out of his office and frowned. "Why has everyone stopped?" He barked.   
  
The Princess took her fingers from her ears slowly.  
  
"Well, answer me," Kagato demanded of his underlings.  
  
"Dr. Kagato," The Princess scampered over to the tall man.   
  
"Oh, it's the Princess," Kagato sounded only half pleased. Wondering what the child wanted this time.   
  
"Dr. Kagato, I need you to make me a friend." She ordered, sticking her nose in the air.   
  
Kagato was speechless for a moment. "Princess, I can make you a fine robot."   
  
"A friend Doctor, I know you can do so because the Toy Maker said a friend cannot be built only made and as we both know well that the Toy Maker builds things and you make them."  
  
Dr. Kagato began to laugh. "Oh how amusing." He forced himself to stop at the look on the Princess' face.   
  
Her bottom lip began to waver and her eyes grew wet with unshed tears.   
  
"Princess," He said more kindly. It would not do to upset the Queen's only daughter. "Friends cannot be made only granted."   
  
The Princess composed herself as she thought over this new puzzle. Her eyebrows drew together and she gathered her skirts in her hands making wrinkles. "Granted?" she asked sadly. "You're sure?"  
  
Dr. Kagato nodded.   
  
The little Princess let go of her skirts and smiled weakly. "Thank you for telling me the truth, Dr. Kagato," she said sweetly and walked slowly from the lab.  
  
Her steps were heavy and she was frowning as she headed back to her rooms. What could all this mean? She stopped and looked down another hall, the only thing she knew that could be granted were wishes.   
  
The Princess became still, was it really that easy. She scratched an ear in thought. Well, the only way to find out was to try.  
  
She began to smile again, and she giggled. If only she had known in the first place, she would have gone directly there. So, once again gathering her pink skirts and ignoring the unprincessly wrinkles in them, she turned from the way to her rooms down another hall. She stopped just before she reached her goal and peered around the door.  
  
"Come in child," A gruff, but gentle voice said.  
  
She tiptoed in carefully keeping from touching anything. She came around and kneeled in front of the older man like she had been taught. "Priest Yosho," the Princess began and stopped, unsure of what to say. She took a deep breath. "I want you to grant me a wish."  
  
"And what is this wish?" The old man was not shocked.   
  
"I wish for a friend," She said firmly.  
  
Priest Yosho sat in silence for a while. The Princess began to fidget, losing hope.   
  
"Princess, I cannot grant you this wish."  
  
The Princess tried not to cry. Her shoulders slumped. "What am I going to do? The Toy Maker cannot build me a friend, Dr. Kagato cannot make me a friend and you cannot grant me a friend." She cried anyways and scrubbed the tears from her eyes.   
  
The Priest said nothing for a time as The Princess stared at him.   
  
"Princess, a friend cannot be built. But a friend can be made and granted, but first they must be found."   
  
More riddles, the Princess thought frowning. She looked away from the priest. It wasn't fair. To find something one had to lose it first. That triggered a thought. She jumped up and barely remembered to bow or grab her skirts as she ran from the room.   
  
She was out of breath when she made it to lost and found. The area was empty and the two police officers in charge were lounging at the counter.   
  
The Princess cleared her throat. "I was told I could find a friend here."  
  
The two cops looked at each other. "A friend, I don't think we have one of those," The blonde one bubbled. "We do have a hat, a purse, a bouncy ball and,"  
  
"Mihoshi," The teal haired cop groaned.   
  
The Princess looked back and forth between them.  
  
"I'm sorry Kiyone," Mihoshi started to wail. "I just thought the cute little girl might want something else considering we don't have what she asked for."  
  
"That cute little girl is the Princess," Kiyone gritted out. "And of course we don't have what she asked for."  
  
The blonde blinked. "I know, friends aren't found you know, even if they can be lost."  
  
The Princess crossed her arms and frowned. She was being ignored.   
  
"Of course they can be found Mihoshi," Kiyone was turning read. "Just not here."  
  
Mihoshi bubbled on. "Well, you are right, but friendship must be given too."  
  
The Princess' ears perked up. The two cops didn't notice her leaving at a skip, the ribbon bow on the back of her dress bouncing.   
  
As she got closer to where she was going more people paused to bow at the Princess, she giggled and nodded back watching as they all got out of her way. She skipped all the way up the long red carpet to her mother's throne. Once there, she stopped, curtsied and preceded up the steps without waiting for permission. Boldly she crawled into the Queen's lap.   
  
"Mommy," the Princess smiled up at the Queen, making her eyes wide and her tone sweet.   
  
"Yes, my little Princess," the Queen responded, even knowing her child's ways still fell for them.   
  
"Will you give me a friend?"  
  
The Queen gathered her child closer. Not sure what had brought this strange request to her throne room.   
  
The Princess couldn't stand another silence, so she hastened to explain. "Mommy, I asked the Toy Maker to build me a friend and he said it couldn't be done and friends had to be made. So I went to Dr. Kagato and he told me they must be granted, so I went to Priest Yosho to wish for a friend and he said they must be found. But the cops at the lost and found said a friend must be given. So here I am."  
  
"Yes, here you are." The Queen's voice was soft and her eyes kind as she looked down at her daughter.   
  
"Mommy, will you be able to help me?"  
  
"This is something you must do yourself, Little Princess." The Queen said shaking her head.  
  
The Princess frowned and cuddled closer to her mother. "How?"  
  
The Queen smiled and petted her daughter's hair. "Why, you have your answer already, Little Princess."   
  
The Princess pulled away from her mother. "Huh?"  
  
Her mother looked down at her, smiling. "A friend must also be grown, as well as built, made, granted, found, and given."   
  
The Princess sighed, more riddles she thought. But where did one… her mind raced.  
  
"All right, mommy. I'll try." She hugged the Queen and squared her shoulders as she slipped off the Queen's lap. That would be the last place she'd try, if a friend wasn't there. It wasn't going to happen, at least not that day.   
  
She managed to walk from the throne room, but once outside the room she broke back into a run. She didn't want to be late.  
  
Her eyes shone as she flew out of the palace and into the gardens.   
  
"Now, if I was a friend where would I be growing?" She pursed her lips and tapped them in thought, unconsciously imitating her mother. "The flower beds," she checked between each plant, no friend there.  
  
A curious cabbit nosed out of the plants, her fur making her hard to spot if she stayed perfectly still. It was no wonder the Little Princess had missed her. "The Pond?" The Princess went that way, the dark brown cabbit on her heels. On the way there, the Princess pretended she was a soldier on parade. Arms stiff, shoulder's straight she marched to the pond. The cabbit mimicked every move. There was no friend at or in the pond. The Princess waded in just to make sure. The cabbit dipped a paw in the water and retreated to the reeds.   
  
"The Orchards?" the Princess said aloud. On the way she created a wreath of flowers and put it on her head, and just in case she met her friend she made another one.  
  
Once to the trees, she set it down to make absolutely sure her friend wasn't among the branches, pretending she was monkey as she swung through them. The cabbit watched from the base of the trunks and balanced the extra flower wreath on her overly large ears.   
  
"No friend here. The vegetable patch, maybe?" The Princess jumped down from the branches, having completely forgotten about the other wreath. She danced to the vegetable garden, the cabbit tried to follow the Princess' movements, but the twirls that the Princess made had the cabbit dizzy so that she just hopped after the Princess instead.  
  
At the patch the Princess began her inspection, once again changing her manner. "What's this, a weed?" She accused an imaginary worker as she pulled on a plant. To her surprise it came out of the ground and she fell backwards on her bottom. A bright orange carrot dangled in her hands.   
  
The cabbit jumped on the Princess's lap. "Miya?" She nuzzled the girl's cheek, making sure she was all right. The Princess' eyes were wide in surprise. "Miya," The cabbit ducked her head, shedding the wreath of woven flowers.   
  
"No, it's all right. You can have it." The Princess said. "I haven't found a friend anyways." She added glumly.  
  
The cabbit thought this very sad and nuzzled the girl's cheek again to comfort the Princess. She looked around searching for what the girl could possibly be looking for. Her eye's spotted the large carrot. "Miya!" She reached out and batted the orange vegetable making the Princess laugh.   
  
"So you like carrots," the Princess giggled, dangling the object just out of reach. The cabbit leaped and latched onto it with her jaws. The cabbit ate the carrot quickly, and then looked around for more. The Princess laughed again. "Greedy, greedy, you're a pig."   
  
There was another carrot frond nearby and the Princess stood up to tug on it. This time she didn't fall over, she placed it in front of the cabbit. The cabbit picked it up and hopped away. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at the Princess, the cabbit's manner saying, "Are you coming?"  
  
The Princess ran after the cabbit. "Wait up!"  
  
Thus the Princess learned that friends could be found, and made. And friendship is given, granted, and built but most especially grown.   
  
And the princess and the cabbit lived happily ever after as friends.  
  
The End.  
  
--  
  
Washu smiled softly as she leaned over to kiss Ryoko on the forehead. The little girl was fast asleep, as she usually was by the end of the story. Washu reached over and clicked off the lights, leaving the glow in the dark stars on the floor and ceiling to provide the only illumination, knowing they would last until dawn.   
  
She paused at the door to take one last look at her peacefully sleeping child. "Good night, my little princess," she whispered.   
  
--  
  
A/N I hope you enjoyed the story as much as little Ryoko does. Bye Bye   
  
RingPrincess 


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